Field Experiences in Food, Nutrition, and Health for Undergraduates
Human Biology, Health & Society (HBHS)
Nutritioal Sciences - CALS (NS-CALS)
Nutritional Sciences - CHE (NS-CHE)
Structured learning experiences in the real world help students link theory to practice. Students also learn about communication, team work, setting goals, client needs, and the social, economic and political forces that influence professionals who work in the food, nutrition and health fields. Students can earn credit for a planned field experience through NS 402, Supervised Fieldwork.
Examples of NS 402 Field Experiences:
• Nutrition and fitness: Advanced nutrition students serve as nutrition counselors to student athletes and members of local fitness clubs.
• Community nutrition: Students work with local Cooperative Extension professionals and others in developing and pilot testing educational programs for adults and children.
• Nutrition and business: Students intern with a local software firm to learn about developing and testing food composition data bases, dietary assessment instruments, and food management programs for use by the health care industry.
• Nutrition and health care: Students examine how nutritionists and other health care practitioners treat and counsel patients with different conditions and the many factors that influence how these professionals conduct their work.
Guidelines for NS 402:
• The experience must be planned in advance with a faculty member and have explicit goals and expected outcomes.
• The experience must have ongoing faculty involvement in all phases through regular conferences in person, by phone, or by e-mail.
• The experience must have a reflective component, such as analysis of a journal or systematic record of the experience to allow the student to consider feelings and attitudes about the experience as well as understandings about applications of classroom learning to practice.
• The student’s work must be evaluated by the faculty member and the bases on which the grade will be determined must be agreed on in advance. Grades may be based on journals, papers, oral presentations, input from field supervisors, and/or other materials developed as part of the experience.
• The number of credits must be determined in advance. For 1 academic credit, the student should be working in the placement or on materials relevant to the placement an average of 3-4 hours per week for 14 weeks. This time is in addition to that spent with the faculty member.
• All registrations for NS 402 must be processed using the College of Human Ecology Special Study form, available from the DNS Academic Affairs Office, B21 Savage or the registrar of the College of Human Ecology. This form must be signed by the student, the faculty supervisor, and the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Division of Nutritional Sciences.
Other Field Experiences:
The Urban Semester Program in New York City is another excellent opportunity to gain field experience. Information about this program is available through the Human Ecology Career Development Center, 159 MVR Hall.